The Loser Called 'Me'
by rui1
Summary: Rika starts a new year in Shohoku and meets Rukawa. It's hate at first sight... Rukawa X OC! sorry it took so long! please r & r!
1. Asshole

Chapter 1

Every morning I had to look at that ugly freak staring back at me in the mirror. But hello my friend, you're all I've got!

I splashed some water carelessly on my face and wiped it dry. Refreshing. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the clock. 6.37 am! Oh crap!

I cut my usual dillydallying, slid quickly into the uniform, grabbed a sandwich and rushed out of the house in record time. 

Phew. 6.41. I was safe. Sure didn't wanna be late on the first day of school!

What a fine day. It was such a tranquil morning. I bit into my delicious homemade......soggy......squishy......tasted like......mouldy bread! YUCK! I coughed everything out into the bag and eyed the slimy green mess with suspicion.

Sheesh, my eyes searched for a trash can. I spied one about 5 metres away. Then I paused and made a feeble attempt to "shoot" it into the bin. Oh crap! It sailed way over and landed onto the road. I winced as a car ran over it.

I looked around cautiously to see if anyone had witnessed my humiliation and heaved a sigh of relief. Good, there was only a little boy sipping at his packet drink peacefully. So much for panicking. 

Maybe not. He threw his packet drink at 10 metres and it landed perfectly in the bin. He then showed me the "LOSER" sign and ran away laughing! Oh man. That was so embarrassing.

I spun around and walked to the bus stop. Ahh! My bus! It was leaving! I dashed forward. Hey! Hello? I waved my arms frantically at the bus driver. Stop! Stop! Stop! It took me awhile to realise that I was still flagging even though the bus had stopped. 

I got onto the bus, face red with embarrassment. I wished the aliens would come and abduct me to divert attention. As if that wasn't enough, the driver stared at me with amusement and said, "Young lady, I may be old but certainly not blind, you know." I gave a little nod and with my head down I hurried to the most inconspicuous part of the bus, wishing people would stop staring.

I gazed out of the window at the passing scenery.

Here goes the first day of high school...

******

I peered from underneath of my cap at that ridiculous girl sitting one seat away from me. I couldn't help feeling embarrassed for her. Some people are just so sad. 

Weird. She's wearing Shohoku's uniform. Fancy going to the same school as a maniac. 

Yawn... Mum had to make me take the bus. Just because I destroyed my 11th bike? Now, I have to work for a new bike. 

It was impossible to sleep on the bus. You had to make sure you got off at the right stop. On a bike it was so much easier! You see, I had practised taking the route to Shohoku a lot of times over the holidays. I could sleep all the way until the bike hit the Shohoku gate, at 10 minutes 36 seconds. Then I would have just enough time to get to class. Maximum sleeping time! I had it planned to the most precise detail.

But the ice cream man had to come along and smash into my precious bike! What's more? He insisted that it was I that had crashed into his trolley! Now what type of logic is that? I was angry all right.

I can't wait to get to class and sleep. Yawn...

******

Damn. I had to forget my watch. I was practically pouring out the contents of my bag into my arms, looking for it. Okay, I really didn't br...... WHAM! I smashed right smack into the pillar. My stuff scattered to the floor. That really made my day. A couple of girls were giggling their heads off at my misfortune. I shot them a look of disgust and gathered the stuff I had dropped on the ground.

"Hey Rika!" I heard a familiar voice call out. Oh great, this was the best time to meet an old classmate.

I turned around and stood up, "Kento! Hey, what's up?"

"It has been quite long, eh?" he said.

"Yeah sure. 4 years is like 1460 days! What's with the spiked hair?"

"Not bad, eh?" He touched his jet-black hair. "What's your class?"

"1-10. You?" I replied, trying to balance everything in my hands.

"1-9, one class away," he smiled. "Too bad. Need some help, don't you?"

"Nah, I'm doing just fine, don't worr..." PLOP! My stuff scattered onto the floor. Darn.

"You haven't changed," he laughed. Both of us bent down, picking up my stuff. Bio file, hole-puncher, notebook, watch... Hey! I found my watch! Cool man... CONK! Our heads collided, while I was getting too excited. And I fell onto the floor as I lost my balance. Funny, I felt 2 thick poles behind me and tried to grab one of them to get up but it moved! 

"Asshole." I jumped up and spun around.

A guy was standing there, looking at me incredulously.

******

I really wonder how many times one can make a fool of herself in one day. Sigh. Sigh. And she said "Shit" in my face.

I ignored her and prepared to walk on when Kento called out, "Kaede! You going to work at Tadano's this weekend?"

I gave a faint nod, without turning around and then strolled on, hands in my pockets.

Behind me I heard that girl say, "Who's that? He's so cocky!"

******

Man, that guy was so damn cocky! Can't stand that sort of people. They ought to be shot! I rolled my eyes, ah well. There are always black sheep in the herd.

__

If I could fall into the sky, do you think time will pass us by... That's such a nice song... Put the morning's events behind.

1st session of the day: Biology. Not bad.

I stepped into the classroom and was greeted by a bunch of "Hey"s and "Hi"s by ex-schoolmates. It was really great to see them again.

But something else had caught my attention. What a comical spectacle! A bunch of bimbotic girls were trying desperately to get into a pyramid formation. Are they okay? First it was that weird guy, now it was a cheerleading session. Hurray! 

I hope one of them falls. 

"Aaaaah!" BAM! Bimbo 1 (how about B1 for easy reference?) had fallen......onto the desk of some sleeping guy. Maybe I did possess some supernatural talent that I'd never discovered. 

He woke up with a start. His back was towards me but I could have imagined his facial expression. Poor guy. Fancy being disturbed in your sleep like that!

What's more, B1 did not budge! Instead, she lay there giving him seductive looks (or at least trying to). She looked like a robotic doll with malfunctional eyelids that couldn't stop fluttering. My goodness.

The guy stood up and said, "Get off asshole." Whoa, I've got to get to know this guy. Good for him.

B1 looked at him with watery eyes and tugged at his hand whining, "Kaede-kun..." What? You mean he's that guy?

"Stick to Rukawa, miss," he replied coldly. With that he flung off her hand. He sauntered to the back , where I was sitting, sat down and slept. Geez. 

It was him all right.

******


	2. Fivetime Idiot

Chapter 2

"Class, I would like you to turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself to him or her. Later, you must introduce your partner to the class," said Ogawa-sensei.

I turned to my right. It was that idiotic girl from this morning. Forget it. I turned left. It was the window.

I stared at her. She stared back at me. She rolled her eyes. It was mutual dislike.

"Takeno Rika," she spoke to the ceiling, monotonously.

"Rukawa Kaede," I said with equal enthusiasm. There had to something said when Ogawa-sensei asked right?

I looked out the window. There was another block of classrooms. What were those girls doing over at the other room? They were waving at something and blowing kisses. Weird people. Suddenly they looked down and scribbled some stuff anxiously. Then a huge white piece of paper was raised against the window. There was a big red heart and it read "We love you! Rukawa!" They're talking about me? What the heck. Crazy. 

"Right, class let's start the introductions," he exclaimed. And so they began. _She's Minato Kyoko and likes to read. He's Hakani Shino and loves soccer._ So on. 

"Ok, now you two at the back."

"He's Rukaha Kade," she pointed at me as though identifying a criminal. The class laughed. She couldn't even get my name right. 

"Rukawa Kaede," I corrected. "That girl," I jutted my thumb at her, "is Tameyo Ri..."

"You aren't much better. I'm Takeno Rika," she interrupted.

Both of us prepared to sit, when he smiled, "I see the two of you are having problems with each other's names! What about the other's hobby?"

We stood up reluctantly. I grabbed at the only thought I could think of and said, "She enjoys being a stand-up comedian." which was half true. She made me laugh at everything she did.

I could feel her anger rising up as she gritted her teeth saying, "He loves sleeping and calling people asshole."

I saw some people glaring at her, including that bimbo that'd interrupted my sleep. That idiot could have said something like playing basketball, right?

Ah well, she didn't know, did she?

******

What the heck was his problem? Is he on his way to making me the school outcast? Stand-up comedian?

I stood outside 1-9's classroom waiting for Shiya, my best friend, to come out. I was fuming.

"Hey Rika! What's wrong? You look like your brain cells were having a barbecue and smoke was coming out of your ears!"

"Rukawa Kaede. I feel like smothering him." I rubbed my fist against my palm vigorously.

"You're one of a kind. Rika. All the girls in school are drooling over him while you are here complaining about him. Haha... Your type is endangered already."

"Let's check out the cafeteria." I tugged Shiya along. 

"You aren't so desperate to eat usually," she sounded confused.

"Well, today I feel like having scrambled eggs." 

"...and flattened Rukawa?" She laughed.

"Nah, I don't take infected meat. It's bad for health."

"Hey Rika, the udon looks really good. Could you get a bowl for me? I'll go get some drinks." 

"Anything you say, master. Oh yeah, I'll have lemon tea."

"'Course!"

"A bowl of udon and a plate of scrambled......"

Suddenly B1 barged in front of me and said, "Egg sandwich with wholemeal bread, I tell you, no mayonaise and only lettuce."

The store lady replied sarcastically, "And I suppose I must make sure the knife used to cut the egg had no traces of butter on it? This isn't MacDonalds. No special orders." I laughed. She turned to me and asked, "One bowl of udon and a plate of scrambled eggs?"

"Yup."

B1 went away sulking but spun around, as though remembering something, and gave me a weird "I wanna kill you" look. With that, she strolled off, butt-shaking and all. What did I do? I let her jump the queue and didn't say anything about it! The ultimate asshole, on par with Rukawa.

I took a tray and placed our food on it. Smelt good. Where was Shiya? I scanned the cafeteria for her. What do you expect? With Koji, her boyfriend, of course. All right, now I'll be really careful with the noodles.

The soup was almost up to the brim! Slowly, slowly, slowly...

"Rika!" someone shouted behind me.

I turned around. "Hey Ken..." His arm shot out and pulled me away. "What are you...?" A red-haired guy running at top speed collided right into me! I lost my hold on the tray and my eyes widened with horror as the bowl of udon flew up, overturned... I hit the ground and he landed on top of...OW! He felt like a brick wall! Next thing I knew, I had the special privilege to experience a rare shower of udon rain.

I struggled to get up, pushing him off me. I picked the udon off my uniform and felt like killing that red-haired beast. Kento was laughing his head off. Geez.

"Oei! You're blocking the Tensai's view! Yohei, where's Haruko?" he yelled and pushed me away.

"Oei yourself! You crashed into me and my udon!"

"You made me lose Haruko! Do you want one of my headbutts?"

"C'mon!" I challenged. 

"Oh! There she is! Maybe next time! Haruko!" he exclaimed as he geared up and ran away, oblivious to the udon in his hair.

"Hey sorry about Hanamichi. He's bling to everybody except Haruko. Here's 100 yen for your food. Bye!" I stood there bewildered as his brigade of 3 or 4 dashed after that red-haired guy.

100 yen? I spent 430 yen on that!

"Guys are such assholes," I muttered under my breath.

"Guys are what?" Kento grinned.

"Assholes, all of you! What am I gonna do now? I'm all wet and sticky!" I cried. Feeling uneasy, I suddenly noticed all those pairs of eyes boring into me. Right, I picked up the bowls and chopsticks, practically on all fours. I felt like an idiot for the 5th time.

******

I ought to do myself a favour and stop lloking at that girl. She made me feel queasy in the stomach. I always see her at the wrong moment. Sucks.

I was feeling groggy after I was given a punch but that red-haired asshole. Stupid guy! Beat me up for no reason. But he suffered no less.

Good thing it was just a blow on the forehead. What should I say I did, this time? I slipped on the stairs when I was sleeping? Nah...I've used that excuse a million times. Hmm, how about this? Someone bought a boomerang from Australia and let me try it out but I forgot it would come back to me after I threw it and WHAM! It knocked into my forehead! Yeah, that's it! 

Very funny, Rukawa Kaede.

My finger was poised to press the doorbell but Mum opened the door already. "Kaede..." she gave me a suspicious look.

"Oh! This?" I pointed at my wound. "It's nothing! I slipped down the stairs when I was sleeping and, you know!"

She raised her eyebrows and grabbed me by the ear. "Can you be more original next time with your excuses? I thought you promised me mot to fight the last time? Down 50!" she yelled.

The problem is, she never believed me.

"One...two...three..."

******


	3. Tryouts

Chapter 3

I'm beginning to get used to Shohoku, getting around the school without getting lost, basically. I took the shortest route to the gym, as I munched on an egg sandwich.

It was the basketball tryouts today. It has been horror waiting for this day. I was damn nervous, one more day and I would have died.

I finished off my sandwich and pushed opened the heavy doors of the gym. There were, say, twenty-odd girls there, dribbling and shooting simultaneously. Pressure, intensity...I felt it, like a dark cloud hovering centimetres above ground.

Then I caught sight of Naomi. Suddenly, the remnants of my hopes were deflated. She was much faster and more agile than I was. I was never equipped with these natural talents. Sigh, I tied the final knot on my shoe with force.

"Girls! Gather around. Welcome to Shohoku. I am Anzai-sensei, your coach." Well, he certainly did not look like he'd ever seen a basketball in his life. Round and jolly with an occasional "Oh-hohohoho". His silvery white hair was parted neatly at the side and he wore black trousers and a crisp white shirt complete with a tie. Anzai-sensei...

"We will play a few matches so I can estimate your individual strength. It will be a 3-on-3 since there are 24 of you here. I've chosen the teams randomly using the sign-up sheets. The first team will be..."

Minutes later, I got my teammates. "Hey! I'm Takeno Rika! What about y'all?" I began the introductions.

"Oh hi! Taro Mia," chirped the tall, longhaired girl.

"Kimayi Shita," said the other monotonously. Hmm, she must be a hard nut to crack, eh? She seemed only interested in her book. Of all things to bring to a basketball tryout, she had to bring a book.

"You're in 1-...?" I asked.

"1-6," Taro Mia replied. Kamiya Shita seemed more eager to kiss her book than talk. Oh well.

"My class is 1-10. Whish position do you play?"

And so, O hit it off with Mia.

After lots of blabbering and commenting on the games, it was our turn. We played Naomi's team...

******

History was dead boring. The worse thing was that Yakamoto-sensei made that Takeno Rika wake me up every time my head hit the table. She didn't pat my shoulder gently or wake me up softly. She either poked me with her finger or she'd yell at me like I was on the other side of the globe! Ok, maybe I was exaggerating but I couldn't even get a minute of peaceful sleep!

I felt so drowsy. I headed for the rooftop. It was about 2.33 p.m. Nah, I won't miss the tryouts. Even if I fell into deep sleep, I'd sleepwalk to the gym.

I climbed the last few steps and pushed open the door sleepily.

"Ahhh! Rukawa! Girls, let's rock and roll!" some girl screamed, followed by countless shrieks.

I was shaken awake by high-pitched voices shouting, "Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa! Aaahhh!"

If they had been guys, I would have given them a black eye each. I've had enough of people interfering with me and my sleep! I shot them a look as best as I could with my half-closed eyes.

Attempt failed. Their squeals grew louder by a crescendo and went an octave higher. "Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa! Rukawa! Rukawa!"

I shut the door on them. I will never want anything to do with girls. Now where should I go?

Yawn...My mouth opened wide and I swallowed.

I spotter a bench at the end of the corridor. It looked so inviting; it was beckoning, "Come! Come!" A dreamy smile creeped over my face and I took each step like a possessed zombie. Finally, I plopped onto the bench and adjusted myself into a comfortable position.

Ahhh...

******

I gulped down my second bottle of water, my hands on my hips, taking in each breath sharply. I was drained of my energy.

It had been an evenly matched game unlike some of the others. They won by merely 3 points. I just hope I didn't blow my chances of making the team. I gazed at the 2 teams on court, my mind replaying the game. What had gone wrong?

"Rika! Rika!" Mia waved her hand in front of me. Suddenly my soul got transmitted back to Earth.

"Ye-ah?" I said, distracted. The game was over already and I hadn't noticed. Sigh. My gaze fell on the basketball that was rolling around.

"See, there you go again. Lost in outer space. Anzai-sensei's gonna announce those that got in." She pulled me up and dragged Shita, who was still engrossed in her novel, along.

I snapped out of my thoughts. He is choosing the team" That original nervousness creeped back into me. I felt my heart fall down into the pit of my stomach.

"Girls, these are the qualifyers..." he said.

I bent my head down and wished with all my might...

******

"Aww...he's so cute!"

"No! Don't wake him up!"

"I just want to...you know!"

"Looking is enough...he's so adorable!"

"Hey! Look who's talking! What are you doing now?"

Voices filled my ears... Who was that? My eyelids fluttered open and I used my arm to shield the glaring light. Two figures appeared in front of me. Huh? Where was I?

The two girls gazed at me. "Kaede-kun! Are you trying out for basketball?"

My eyes widened in shock. Basketball tryouts! What's the time? One of them had a watch so I grabbed her wrist to check the time. 2.57 p. m.! I released my grip and ran down the corridors. Oh damn it, I had to be there at 3 o' clock sharp!

I dodged a teacher and squeezed past a guy pushing a huge cart. I couldn't be late! I bounded down the stairs and shoved open the door. Phew! Now, the gym was only round the corner. I zoomed past a couple, interrupting their peaceful date and stopped right in front of the gym's entrance. I bent down to catch my breath.

Then as cool and composed as I could, I strolled into the gym like it was just another day. The big round clock stared down at me.

What? 2.50 only? Is this some kind of joke? I ran all the way here to find that I was early? No, correction extremely early.

Since I was here already, I might as well stay and wait. I walked towards the changing room. Some girls were gathered around Anzai-sensei.

Suddenly something familiar caught my eye. That short brown hair belonged to somebody. Who? Then, she turned around.

Takeno Rika?

******


	4. I Love Basketball

Chapter 4: I Love Basketball

"......Takeno Rika, Taro Mia, Kimayi Shita..." Anzai-sensei droned.

All 3 of us got in! I couldn't believe it! I grinned like a chesire cat at Mia. She returned me a wink. For the first time I saw some sort of emotion in Shita's eyes! She smiled at us happily. Yes! I felt like the luckiest girl on Earth!

"Girls, you may be dismissed now. First training starts next Tuesday!" he announced.

I said my goodbyes to Mia and Shita. I felt like staying back to shoot. It was only 3 p. m. and there were still the guys' tryouts. I guess I'll wait in the courts.

I headed up to the viewing gallery and found nice spot where nobody was near me. I was just enjoying the tranquility seldom experienced in a court when B1 and her friends stormed into the gallery opposite me. What luck.

They were donned in the most ridiculous outfits my poor eyes had ever seen. Blinding pink cheerleading costumes with teeny-weeny white tank tops and Wa, Ru and Ka were printed on them. What were they here for?

Suddenly, I noticed a swarm of girls streaming in. Hmm, not bad! Shohoku sure has lots of basketball enthusiasts!

******

It was finally time for tryouts. Takeno Rika was in basketball? Funny. I stuffed my school uniform into my duffel bag. Then I tied my shoelaces thrice, good and secure.

It would start with a game. Great, I loved games.

Checking that I'd brought everything, I locked my stuff in a locker.

With that, I stepped onto the court.

"Rukawa! Rukawa! L-O-V-E Rukawa!"

******

Rukawa? As in Rukawa Kaede from 1-10? That guy?

Out of curiosity, I stood up to look but the girls behind whined and yanked me down. Well, so be it. Maybe it was another Rukawa, y'know. I knew two Hitoras last year.

Oh man, the place was getting more and more crowded! I got sick of it after awhile; I could see nothing but heads... A ponytail, a plait, some streaked hair, flowing long hair... Yup, that was all that was within my vision. Everybody was trying to stretch their neck longer than the girl in front of her.

Guess it would be more sensible to come back later. I pushed my way through the crowd and ran down the stairs. The air was so much fresher and cooler! I was just about to leave when Anzai-sensei stopped me.

"Rika, help me record for awhile please? Ayako is off for extra classes. You know how to do it, right?"

"Yeah, okay!" I agreed enthusiastically but my smile was wiped off my face when I saw Rukawa Kaede staring at me. I pretended not to notice him and followed Anzai-sensei to the bench. He went off to referee the game.

I looked around. There were more guys than there had been girls, duh. So, it was a full-fledged 5-on-5. I took down the names of the players acording to the introductions each of them had to do.

What on Earth? That red-haired freak played basketball? Why did I have to make enemies with two from the guys' team already?

The whistle was blown. The game had begun. It was top action, I tell you. A beautiful display of speed and skills combined on court. The coolest part was the guys slamming the ball into the hoop. I wondered if the team was good enough for national standards. Well, probably not yet...but soon, I guess. They were really of a high standard.

No matter how much I disliked Rukawa, I had to admit that he was a genius on court. His movements were swift and decisive, his shots were beautiful, with a perfect arc. I decided that I had to admire his skills. But note: his skills, not him. He stunned me with his fancy moves but that didn't excuse him for acting like some hotshot. 

That red-haired guy, though I'd come to know him as Sakuragi Hanamichi I'd prefer sticking to that, was not bad. He had lots of potential but he acted like a goon. Any idiot could tell he'd never played basketball in his life. Haha, he made me smile because he was deliberately giving Rukawa a hard time.

The ball was being passed to the red-haired guy but it was way yoo high, even with him jumping up and down with hands raised he couldn't reach it. It flew way over him...and towards me!

The next moment was a blur...

******

Darn it! I jumped and reached for the ball, slamming it back into court. Then I came crashing down onto the bench! OW! 

Where was that damn girl? Wasn't she sitting there? It wouldn't have hurt so much if she hadn't moved! Asshole! 

I gave her a murderous look and ran back on court. Stupid red-haired baboon!

******

What the heck was he expecting me to do? Be his landing pad? Hullo? Someone comes flying towards you and you sit there happily for him to land on you? Oh, I understand. Thousands of girls would be dying to have him in their lap. Well, I wasn't part of that thousand. I don't want two fractured knees or to be wheeled around in a wheelchair. I still wanted to play basketball! Unreasonable freak.

The game went on and on... I was still a bit shaken from just now though. Every cross I drew for that Rukawa every time he scored, was drawn with hatred and anger. The problem is, he kept scoring and scoring...

The whistle signalled the end of the game. Hurray! Hurray! Pack up and leave! I wanna shoot! Hurry!

I waited impatiently as each of them took their own sweet time to leave. Finally, everybody was gone.

It was just me, the ball and the hoop...

******

Wow, not a bad game at all. That red-head kept marking me. It was so deliberate but challenging. That crash into the bleacher spoiled it all though. Breaking my fall was her job, wasn't it? She was supposed to but she just stood aside. Asshole, she doesn't even do what a girl's supposed to do. Come to think of it, she doesn't even act like a girl... Ha, for all you know she might just be a transvestite.

I wiped my sweat off my face. Funny. I heard somebody dribbling. I loved the thump of the ball when it hits the ground. Maybe the Gorilla-man stayed back too.

I took a basketball out... As I looked up I caught sight of a feminine figure. What was she doing here, again?

******

Swish!

I loved basketball with all my heart and soul. It looked simple but behind that mask, it was a battle of skills and teamwork and it was a lot of hard work. 

I dribbled a little, then set up a shot... Swish! That feeling was the only thing that could genuinely cheer me up. That feeling when the ball goes in, nothing but net. It was indescribable...

Someone else's dribbling broke my chain of thoughts. I spun around on impulse and caught Rukawa making an incredible dunk. He was about to look up so I quickly turned back to my shooting in order for him not to see me gawking. It would just make his ego bigger.

******

Haha... I saw that, Takeno Rika! You thought I didn't see you? Well, you were wrong there.

I felt triumphant that I'd caught her. That girl was an unladylike asshole. Everytime notes were circulated around in class, she'd "accidently" drop mine on the ground! Absolutely unreasonable.

******

__

He was unreasonable. When my pen rolled over to his seat, he would kick it even further away from me "discreetly", as though I could not see. What was his problem?

******

I tell you, she has a major problem. Everytime she was forced to say something to me, she called me by full name, "Rukawa Kaede". Who did she think she was? My mother?

******

__

My mother once told me that guys weren't gentlemen unless they helped a girl up. I still remember that time I fell onto the ground, he was just behind me but he just walked on as though nothing had happened!

******

Mental Warfare:

RK--- Asshole.

TR--- Shit face!

RK--- Asshole...

TR--- Idiot!

RK--- Male Chauvinist Pig!

There was a long moment of silence. Then they turned to face each other simultaneously, sending hate messages through invisible cables between them. As though synchronised, they bounced their ball hard, one, turned back and shot. Both balls floated through the air, almost exact reflections of each other. Then CLANK! Both balls hit the rim and flew off in the opposite direction.

******

Damn! It's all because of him! I grabbed my ball but at the same time, his rolled over to my side of the court. He shouted, "Pass it back to me!"

I took another shot and yelled back, "Why don't you come get it yourself? Scared of my cooties?" What an idiot. No "Please", no nothing. Just plain "Pass it back to me". What was I? His slave?

I imagined myself as a robot, walking around doing whatever he said. _Yes Sir? Oh, your ball rolled out into the mud? Oh, it's okay, don't worry! I'll get it for you!_ Or how about: _You're falling? I'm coming! _And suddenly I am transformed into an exercise mat made from top quality sponge to protect his delicate limbs from breaking. Bah! He must be one of those spoilt young masters who have trained staff to take off his socks for him. 

******

I told you she was an asshole. She wouldn't even pass the ball back to me! Fine, I'll get it myself.

I shot a hundred more shots and hit about 97%. Good. Shower and leave.

******

Perfect! I glanced at the clock which showed 6.46 p.m. Time to go. I quickly changed into something fresh in the locker room and stepped out.

I looked around, good, the coast was clear, free of Rukawa.

__

"It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do. To look you in the eye, and tell you I don't love you. It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie, to show no emotion when you start to cry..." Boy, I loved singing...

******

__

"...to turn around and walk away pretending I don't love you..." I heard from the corridor, you mean there're still girls in here at this hour? That's one nice voice though.

I walked out and gaped in astonishment. T...Ta...Takeno Rika? Somehow that voice and the name didn't go together.

She must have heard my footsteps because she stopped singing abruptly and tensed. However she continued walking without turning around.

This was the first time I'd seen this side of her throughout the two weeks that I'd known her. It felt awkward.

******

Shit, was that him? Hadn't he left? He must be laughing at my disgusting voice. I vow never to sing in the gym anymore.

I decided to stroll home. It was just one bus stop away anyway. I always liked to watch the sunset but it was a little cold though. That didn't matter.

I smiled at a girl on the swing but my eyes narrowed when I took notice of the footsteps behind me. They had been there since I'd left school. I harboured a thought about a murderer armed with a sledge hammer, ready to murder me because I bore some resemblance to his unfaithful ex-wife.

Unable to contain my curiosity anymore, I looked behind.

It was only Rukawa but that was bad enough. The look of him made me furious.

******

Man, I knew she lived near me. But I got the shock of my life when she turned into the house a couple of houses away from mine. This was crazy. I can't be on the wrong street, could I?

******


	5. A Fateful Physics Lesson

Chapter 5: A Fateful Physics Lesson 

I strolled to the bus stop, eyelids hardly able to keep themselves from drooping.

WHAM! Huh? What was that? My eyes fluttered open. I felt that there was a wall sort of thing in front but I saw nothing. Must be a dream.

I took another step. "OW! Get off asshole!" Now what was that sound? I looked down and saw Takeno Rika sprawled on the ground. Oh...whoops, I just stepped on her. Shucks! Did I dirty my shoe? I checked the bottom carefully and heaved a sigh of relief.

Then I realised that Rika had fallen because of me. So I reached out my hand only to be yelled at with an ungrateful, "No thanks, mister!" She slapped my hand away. "I've got my own hands and feet!" She stood up indignantly but in her haste, she slipped and fell again.

Goodness. The sight was so hilarious that I couldn't help but laugh. 

"What are you laughing at, huh?" she stared into the depths of my skull.

"You," I replied bluntly.

"Haha...well, look at yourself! Your shirt's all wet! Your piss got out of control?" With that, she turned around and began her stomp to the bus stop.

I looked down at my shirt. Oh damn! It was wet with drool! I knew I had to get rid of that habit and now she'd scored a point.

******

That guy desperately needs some masking tape over his mouth when he sleeps. Good thing I'd got him but I ought to have taken a shot of that look on his face. It would have raked in some profits for me. That would have taught him a lesson.

I hate Rukawa! He's the cause of all my embarrassment! Even though I'd gotten back at him, a girl's got her own dignity to uphold! I had to meet this freaking make chauvinist pig and what's more? He'll be in my class for 3 years? Sitting beside me? And he'll probably live in the same neighbourhood for longer than that! I had already taken one step into hell!

Breathe in, breathe out... Calm down, he's not gonna spoil your day, Takeno Rika. 

The bus came. He flagged it and got on. I followed behind. Funny, he'd never taken the same bus as me before! The same bus driver from the first day of school. What luck.

I smiled at him sheepishly and proceeded to a seat but he said, "I see you've got yourself a trusty escort! Very effective!"

My eyes bulged out in horror. "I've got nothing to do with that guy, nothing what-so-ever!"

"I see you do, indeed," he winked.

Us? Puh-lease... YUCK! I'd rather die a million times, get run over by every type of car in the world, go to hell and back than be associated with the fox-face that could fill the entire Atlantic Ocean with his drool! Sick! Puke!

******

Physics now. It's so boring. Car mechanics and Jina-sensei sounded like an automobile herself, going at 5 km/h, that is. Makes me wanna......Zzz...

******

See? There he goes conking off again.

I was doodling on my notebook because I'd forgotten to bring my Physics textbook, or rather, I didn't bother to bring it at all. Well, she wouldn't care would she?

"Takeno Rika," Jina-sensei called out. "Where is your textbook?"

"I forgot to bring it, sensei," I replied.

"Take Kaede's then," she answered after scanning the classroom briefly. "I'm sure he would be kind enough to lend it to you." I rolled my eyes. The only reason why she didn't mind him sleeping in class was because it gave her a chance to have a "one-on-one" with him later.

I stretched my arm out for his book but his hand shot out. "Of course I need it, sensei," he replied and opened it to a page on light travel, appearing to be reading intently.

Jina-sensei looked slightly dismayed at the prospect of not being able to see him for an extra half hour today. However, she smiled at him sweetly, sadly revealing a row of stained teeth that'd never touched toothpaste and said, "Well, I suppose you wouldn't mind sharing it with Takeno Rika, would you?"

What? Did she just tell me to share a textbook with that guy, harmoniously?

"You heard what I said. Chop-chop, Takeno." That was that. So I moved my chair next to his but kept still kept a little distance. That mind of Jina-sensei is one hard to fathom. However, one thing I was sure of was what a bore she was. She could easily put the Tasmanian Devil to sleep. I wasn't half interested in her lesson and it didn't take long for me to lose my concentration again. He, too, slumped onto my arm, drifting back to dreamland. I yanked my arm away on impulse and his head banged onto the table.

He woke up with a start, ready to kill me. He yelled, "What the heck are you doing?" apparently forgetting he was in class. 

"Hey, you're the one that started sleeping on my arm, okay? Do you think I want to touch _you_?"

"Takeno, I've had enough of you! Since you aren't interested in my lesson, get out!" that woman snapped. 

"But neither is he! Why only me?"

"No buts! Get going!"

I was boiling mad. I stood up and marched out the door. I could hear that disgusting voice of hers become all honey-lubricated as she asked, "Kaede, you all right there?"

She's in love with that freak. From the very first Physics lesson, I could tell. "Kaede" here, "Kaede" there. On such intimate terms, eh? Her eyes would be trying to send hidden messages to him but they never were received because they would be blocked by his drooping eyelids. Yah, so sleeping in class does not equal being inattentive! That woman, I'll remember her for life!

******

Whoa! I didn't expect her to be sent out of class just like that. Okay, so I slept on her arm...but that was an accident! Big deal, anyway, it's nice to have a thorn out of my flesh. 

Jina-sensei's horribly weird. Somehow I don't like her way of calling me by my first name. I don't know why she does it but that's reserved for my parents thank you very much.

I watched the second-hand tick away the remnant of the lesson. "Brrrrr...ing!" Yes! Another class down! 3 more to go! Just as I was celebrating that fact, Miss Takeno Rika strode into the class and sat down on her chair with a loud thump. What a great disturber of peace and tranquility. 

She started writing furiously then crushing up the paper, repeating the cycle over and over again. Screech...screech...screech...I gritted my teeth in annoyance and when the bubble had burst, I swerved my head around, prepared to order her to stop. However, she was already looking at me menacingly. She looked like a tiger ready to pounce on her prey. 

We both opened our mouths to say something but closed them again. For a little moment silence reigned.

Then she slammed her pencil down hard on her desk and jumped up. I was expecting a string of curses unwinding from her foul mouth but I was mistaken. Instead, she flung a piece of paper on my desk, looked at me with an expressionless face, turned and walked out of the room 

I stared at the note scrawled onto the crumpled piece of paper. "I hate you, asshole." I watched as her pencil rolled slowly off her table and hit the floor with a plonk. 

My first hate note. Sleep...I need some sleep... Later, I've got to see Anzai-sensei for some unknown reason. Now, I just want some sleep. 

******


	6. Last Resort

Chapter 6: Last Resort

I knocked on Anzai-sensei's office door. "Come in," I heard his deep muffled voice from the other side of the door.

     It was one of the rare times that somebody has asked to see me. All the teachers had given up on me, I suppose, so they'd all become rather apathetic.

I felt really curious so I'd forgotten to close the door properly.

"Anzai-sensei you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I just wanted to ask you something about Takeno-san."

"Takeno-san? Which one?" I thought hard, running through the names of the players on the guys' team, as far as I could remember, that is.

"Takeno Rika," he paused then added," The girl."

A "huh?" almost came out of my mouth but I refrained myself from saying it. I collected my senses and replied as calmly as I could, "Yes, what about her?"

"I do this survey every year, on new players, to observe their attitude. Don't tell her about it. You are in the same class as Takeno Rika, right?" 

I nodded in answer. 

"Well, what is she like?" 

"Erm...She's...," I searched for a suitable word in vain. 

******

"She's okay." Rukawa Kaede was saying. Wow, what a wide range of vocabulary he had.

I could catch their conversation because the door had been left ajar carelessly. Who were they talking about? Just hoped he'd hurry up because I had to see Anzai-sensei too!

"Okay? Nothing more?" I sensed a tinge of doubt in Anzai-sensei's voice. "I want to try to understand my players to see what approach I can take in guiding them, Rukawa."

After some shuffling of feet on the carpet, Rukawa decided to reply. "She's okay... apart from the fact that she's unreasonable, petty, accident-prone and unladylike! Frankly, I..." 

"You hate her?" Anzai-sensei interrupted.

"It's mutual. Look at this..." There was some smoothening of paper before Anzai-sensei read out, "I hate you." And he asked, "She gave you this?" laughing his trademark laugh.

Cripes! They couldn't be talking about me, could they? But if not, wouldn't it be too coincidental? Yikes...

"Well, is she good?" Rukawa asked. What does that have to do with him? Damn him.

"Basketball? Well, I hope you can be taken into my confidence?"

Apparently Rukawa agreed because Anzai-sensei continued, "Rika has potential but to tell you the truth, she was a last resort. One of the girls had declined her position, to join the choir..." A tear squeezed its way out of my eye.

Last resort? The next words were of no importance... Last resort? Those two words rang in my ears over and over again. Tears flowed down my face. I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and ran away.

******

"Rika had passion. I knew it from the time she actually bothered to stay back to practise."

I nodded as I gazed out the window behind Anzai-sensei. A girl was running away, crying. Sigh... Maybe someone had just dumped her... No, wait. That is Takeno Rika! Heh heh. Who was the wise guy? I wonder. Poor guy must have suffered. I can just imagine that girl going, "Hey! You better give me a teddy bear or else I'll slap you silly!" Anyhow, it was weird seeing her in tears, way too girlish for her sort. Hmm...wonder what the parting words were? "Goodbye sucker"? I had to hold my breath to stop myself from snickering. Wait a minute, why did I care? 

"Rukawa?" I was zapped back to Earth. "Yes?" I replied.

"That's all. Thank you so much." It was a dismissal so I said goodbye and went out. One hand in my pocket, I walked along the corridor with my duffel bag slung across my shoulder. Great, now I could go home and watch the match between the Washington Wizards and the LA Lakers that I'd taped. I turned a corner and almost bumped into Takeno Rika. I shrunk back behind the wall. She had her head buried in her hands and was muttering some crap to herself. Crying. AGAIN. I will never understand what's so important about this type of relationships. Curiosity got the better of me so I eavesdropped on what she was saying.

"Last resort...*sob*...last resort...*sob sob*" Huh? As inexperienced as I was, I knew that wouldn't be the kind of thing that a heartbroken girl would be saying. It sounded more like...Then I realized all of a sudden it was more like…more like she had overheard what Anzai-sensei was saying to me! I stood there, stoned and finally I drew in my breath sharply.

The crying stopped on the other side of the corner and I could hear her standing up. I turned to leave hoping that she would not notice me.

******

Damn him, Rukawa Kaede. Laughing at me inside, I bet. Sheesh, why do I feel so cold? Maybe it's the weather. I put on an extra sweater. I looked out the window and saw a couple of snowflakes falling down gently. I sighed and gathered my things. Snow used to be able to put me out of depression anytime but its magic wasn't working this time. I sneezed, then closed my eyes trying to block the path of a tear on the verge of rolling down my cheek. And of all the people in the world it had to be Rukawa Kaede that had heard what Anzai-sensei said. "AAH-CHOO!" I sneezed then I started to shiver violently all of a sudden. 

(In the distance, Rukawa hesitated, after hearing that resounding sneeze. He looked at the sweater in his hand that he was about to deposit in his locker and thought for just a second whether or not to approach Rika with it.) 

You know what? Maybe I'm sick and I won't have to come to school tomorrow. Won't that be just great? "AH-CHOO!" It's so cold I thought just as somebody placed a jacket on my shoulder.

I froze in shock wondering for a little while whether _he_ had decided to show some kindness. I looked up only to see Kento and heaved a sigh of relief. "Y…yo", I could barely say it without my voice trembling.

"Hey Rika. What's the matter with you?" he asked with a concerned tone.

"I…I…man, I don't know …gosh…Kento…" my voice trailed off as I broke down into sobs. He put his hand on my head and pushed it against his chest going, "Hey girl, you're strong, remember? Aww…c'mon, don't cry."

"K…Kento, it's…so cold." I put a hand on his. A worried look crossed his face. He felt my forehead and exclaimed, "Yikes! You've got a fever! C'mon I'm bringing you home right now! Gimme your bag!"

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and escorted me all the way home on that wintry afternoon.


	7. What the?

Chapter 7: What the? 

I sat and stared at the whiteboard, sparkling white and shiny. Funny, I couldn't seem to fall asleep. At this point of time, Takeno Rika would be bursting into the classroom and saying a loud "Good morning!" but, uh-uh, not today. 

My mind flashed back to yesterday. Was that really Takeno Rika? It had got to be, as hard as it was to believe it. I tried to picture in my head, normal Takeno Rika: laughing of glaring; depending who she was with and yesterday's Takeno Rika: doing what? Crying. Crying! A crying Takeno Rika? Those two just didn't click. But it _was_ her right? Suddenly it felt like I had been given a bunch of Saddam Hussein pictures and was tasked to to find out if they were all the same guy. Geez, it just felt a little unbelievable. 

Then I thought about Anzai-sensei's words. "…She was the last resort." I haven't seen her play but her shooting was not too bad after all. Then again, Shohoku's girls' team was practically _the_ champion team in the entire nation so they must recruit some players of fine potential. But that was _girls' _basketball. I didn't know nothing about that, so I guess I couldn't say. Ohh hell, what was I doing worrying about her?

Normally, I wouldn't give a damn… Yeah, so I shouldn't give a damn at all. What was she anyway? Just another girl, right?

"Rukawa Kaede, why are you still sitting down?" It was Ogawa-sensei. I looked up abruptly and saw that all my classmates had stood up, ready to greet the teacher. I mumbled an apology then rose as everybody synchronized their voices, saying, "Ohayo gozaimasu, Ogawa-sensei."

I sat down. A wonderful thought came over me, "No Takeno Rika to disturb me in my sleep today!" For the rest of the lessons, I was able to enjoy a rare blissful and uninterrupted slumber. 

******

When I got home yesterday, my mum immediately forbade me from going to school the next day. I protested of course but what could I do if I was genuinely down with flu?

Today had bored me to death. There was no NBA game on television. I had tried my very best not to think about yesterday or else I would start crying like a goon again. I attempted to sing all the songs I could recall. Each time I thought my voice was getting normal; it cracked whenever I escalated to a higher note. At first I didn't care but I stopped immediately after my annoyed brother yelled out, "Rika! Did you spoil the radio again?" Well, thanks a lot man, that sure was great encouragement. 

I waved my brother goodbye as he sped off to university, late but that was nothing new… I plonked down onto our swing in the front porch. I was alone in the house with a dripping tap for a nose. Lovely. 

Then I spotted the clouds in the sky, mesmerized by the transforming shapes. Horse galloping…then snake, no, dragon… My attention laid on that white puff stuff for quite a few moments until I spotted something against the blue sky that resembled a fox. Fox = Rukawa. Sick.

I switched my gaze to the floor. I observed the tiles closely and noticed that there were faint brown stripes on them. I'd always thought they were all white! I started walking with my hands clasped behind me, back bent forward as though I were Sherlock Holmes, scanning the ground for valuable evidence. Third tile left and seventh tile up from the mailbox had a slight bump. The one five tiles left of it had a rack in it. Man, people walking by must have had doubts about my sanity.

A gust of wind blew, weaving through the pores of my sweater, reminding me that it was cold outside and that I should not be there. Heeding the advice, I headed inside and up to my room. I flopped onto my bed and fell asleep right away.

******

The final bell rang, meaning I was free to go. I felt smug about my being able to sleep through all the classes. One day without Takeno Rika only but I sure was looking forward to many more to come.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and proceeded to buy lunch for my little brother and I. 

******

"…dingdong…dingdong…dingdongdingdong…" I woke up with a start. Oh no! My younger brother had just finished school! I scrambled out of bed and flew down the stairs to the door as the doorbell rang ceaselessly. I caught my breath before I flung open the door only to see Yuki, my brother.

"On­­­­eechan! Did you just wake up? Me and Junichi have been taking turns at pressing the doorbell!" Yuki said with slight annoyance.

"You and Junichi?" I looked puzzled as Yuki yanked a little boy out from behind the corner.

"Konnichiwa, Rika-oneesan!" the boy I rook to be Junichi said with a bow. 

"Junichi is my new classmate and he just lives around here so he came over to play! Oneechan, could you bring us to eat katsudon? Please, please, please?"

I looked thoughtful.

"Please? With a watermelon on top?" Junichi pleaded.

"All right," I replied as they jumped up with joy, their small hats falling to the ground. I guess it would be good to take in some fresh air. "You two, leave your bags in the house and I'll go change all right?"

Minutes later we were all ready to go. Checking that everything was locked, we set off, the two elementary school children shattering away excitedly. For once, I wished I was a kid again. Such little things could make them satisfied.

******

I came out of the departmental store after looking at a number ­­of good quality basketball shoes. Mine was getting a little worn out so I was considering buying a new pair.

As I neared the shop where I was planning to buy lunch from, I searched my bag for my wallet at the same time hearing, "Oniichan!"

Surprised, I looked up and saw Junichi, my younger brother waving at me. What the? I spotted a boy of the same age beside him exclaiming, "Oh that's your basketballer brother!"

******

Huh? Junichi was Rukawa Kaede's brother? Why was I certain that the world was going to end tomorrow? Before I could think any further, Yuki grabbed my arm and dragged me to Rukawa.

"Oneechan! This is Junichi's older brother! He plays basketball too!" shouted Yuki, just as Junichi yelled, "Oniichan! This is Rika-oneesan!" 

I glared at Rukawa and scowled. He was expressionless. I suddenly realised that the two looking up at me staring daggers at him in wonder. 

To my surprise, Rukawa managed a, "Nice to meet you. I'm Rukawa Kaede." 


End file.
